The Reclamation: Revelation
by NyetFura
Summary: After the accident as children, Anna's memories of Elsa's existence are erased altogether, her sister replaced by another person. In the wake of a new war with the Ice Sorceress, the ice in Anna's mind links with its creator, and Reclamation begins.
1. Chapter Zero: Prologue

Chapter Zero: Prologue

Soldier Aleksandr's eyes darted from side to side as he surveyed the trees around him.

At the slightest rustle he jumped, he and his two remaining companions levelled their swords at the shaking leaves. Two nights of constant fleeing, two nights of being hunted by a force of nature.

The Fifth Company of Arendelle's Riflemen had set off scaling the North Mountain. The cure for the King's illness grew on the tallest peaks, just out of their reach. Ninety of Arendelle's finest had set off with cleanly polished weapons, full packs of rations and the spirit to find the cure for the King, no matter what happened. Once he was cured, the Sorceress who had cursed him would pay for her sins.

Aleksandr cursed their optimism. It had lasted for all of a day before things began to fall apart.

_After a day's worth of hard hiking, the Company had settled down in a clearing for the night. Tents were set up and bags dumped in. A hearty fire was lit in the middle of the clearing, and soon water was boiling and the smell of hot food rumbled the men's stomachs. Congregating around the warm glow, they dug into their food, savouring the warmth before snuggling in for the night._

_ Patrolling with Dracon, Aleksandr checked his rifle for the full seven rounds before they split up. He whistled as he walked, admiring the night sky and his misty breath billowing in front of him. All animals who had brains at all were hibernating for the winter. _Only ones dumb enough to be awake are us humans_, he thought. He was so deep in thought, laughing about the idiosyncratic nature of humans, he almost missed the piercing _bang_ of a gunshot, and the unnatural quiet that followed. Almost._

_ Instantly alert, Aleksandr raised his weapon and looked around. "H-Hello?" He called, jumping as the bushes began to rustle. "Is anyone there?" A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air. Fixing his bayonet as he ran, Aleksandr ground to a sliding stop on the snow as he saw another firearm lying on the floor. The wood was stained red, bolt partially retracted. Looking up, Aleksandr's vision reeled, his bayonet's blade waving on reflex._

_ Staring up at him with blank, glassy eyes was Dracon. The entire front of his ribcage was ripped open, the innards lightly steaming in the cold air. A single icicle pinned him to the tree by his head, and as the cold wind blew he swayed lightly._

_ "Aleksandr! We thought- What the blazes is that?"_

_ Aleksandr turned his head to see a man-sized figure step into the moonlight. There was something wrong with everything this figure did. It walked almost mechanically, as though it were some kind of reanimated statue. Facets of light shimmered off its body as it walked. The true horror came when its face was bathed in silvery light that reflected off the silver smooth surface. It was made of glittering ice! Multiple clicks sounded behind him as men cocked their weapons._

_ At the first sound of a crackle, Aleksandr stabbed his bayonet straight into the creature, and squeezed the trigger. _Bang_ The bullet shattered the creature's icy torso, and as it crumbled to pieces, tinkling to the floor, rustling was heard in the trees. Spinning around, Aleksandr's eyes widened as the spaces in the trees all around them began to glitter and shine. At the sight of the multiple facets of light, he simply cocked his rifle and ran, escaping just as an army of ice statues stalked into the clearing and proceeded to slaughter his friends._

For the last two days, Aleksandr and his two companions had encountered all form of ice creatures, most commonly birds and small mammals. Their rifles had long ago run out of ammunition, so they'd abandoned them in the snow. Not a single one of them had eaten, and their armour only seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Going back down now empty-handed meant certain death for desertion. Going upwards to their objective there was still a chance. Alexander hated to do this, but it was the only credible option. Up. Aleksandr didn't even have the energy to bother lifting his sword anymore. He just walked up.

Then, it loomed before him. A magnificent castle made completely out of ice, the majestic gates etched with snowflake designs. Aleksandr and his companions could not help but gasp at this beautiful, fifty-foot tall structure.

Too late, a flash of white appeared in his peripheral vision, against the blue sky.

"No!" Aleksandr cried as man in front of him turned back, giving him a quizzical look. Had he been looking forward, he'd have seen the ice soldier in front of him raising what looked like- no, what _was_ a complete replica of a rifle.

Tauntingly, the ice soldier cast a cursory glance at Aleksandr, who didn't move a muscle out of fear. _God have mercy on our souls_ he prayed. _Let there be bright sunshine, to melt these creatures. Let a wind blow, and divert their cursed ammunition_.

Alas, God was preoccupied. The ice soldier's weapon elongated, a tube with two lenses on each end sprouting out the top. There was nary an indicator but a blue flash of light that the weapon had fired. That of course, and the icicle that embedded itself in his companion's chest, spilling steaming red blood onto the snow as he crumpled and fell.

Shaking his head, Aleksandr turned back in front of him. He was fortunate enough to have at least a glimpse of his own fate before a blade of glittering solid water stabbed straight through all his layers of clothing, cleaving apart the flesh and sinew in his chest and skewering his heart. The last thing he felt was the ice soldier kicking his head, and withdrawing the sword, before he joined his comrades on the road to his Creator.

All was silent on the North Mountain.

* * *

Arendelle Castle

"Your Highness, we have received news of another enemy incursion into Krukoslik just a day ago…"

Crown Princess Anna of Arendelle sighed as she received the bad tidings. Ever since her father, King Josef of Arendelle had been taken ill by that horrifying frost ailment just four years ago, things had just gone downhill. The blonde Sorceress had cursed her father and killed every single men she'd send up the North Mountain for the cure. Then there was the war with Russia and… She sighed and buried her head in her hands. There was just too much.

Not a single man who had returned from the North Mountain came back alive, in one piece or sane. Ever since the search parties had been sent up the Mountain to search for the Healing Spring, those who were still coherent jumped at shadows and refused to go near trees. They spoke of warriors made of the winter element itself, silently stalking the forests on the slopes of the mountain, killing any mortal foolish enough to traverse those cursed trails in cold blood.

Arendelle had paid for its scepticism. The reports had begun arriving from the Outskirts, near Jaela, Krukoslik and Viaduk. The same cursed warriors that the insane soldiers spoke of now frequently intruded upon the territory of Arendelle patrols. Every single incursion had been beaten back by the valiant troops of Arendelle. But indeed each man had been forced to fight tooth and nail. Being made of ice gave these _things _inhuman strength and resilience. Hundreds of men had been lost repulsing even a small force of ice warriors. This effort was unsustainable over the long term, if sustainable at all. Which was why they needed the King _back_, and soon.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" shouted a squire as he ran in, clutching a communique in his hand. "Terrible news! Krukoslik and Viaduk have fallen to the enemy. Viaduk has been captured by th-the _ice_ creatures. Not a man is left alive. Krukoslik has fallen to those men of the East."

"Disgusting Slavs." Military Advisor Boris slammed his hand on the table.

"They say, Your Highness," the squire continued, "that the Russian commander was seen talking to a platinum haired woman, with eyes bluer than sapphires!"

Anna's breath caught in her throat. _No, it can't be. No, no, no, NO!_

With uncharacteristic purpose, Anna ran to the war room and flung open the curtains that guarded the Chart, marker of the boundaries of the Kingdom, and utterly invaluable asset of war.

That was not the only surprise waiting for her. Anna's eyes widened as the seal of the royal family disappeared from all cities on the map, reappearing on the city of Viaduk to the Northeast. Krukoslik had a tricolour hanging over it, the white-blue-red of the Russians in the East. Both cities were fairly close together, and a thin golden line appeared on the map, joining them in alliance. A small snowflake, ice blue was etched into the map's lines next to the crest of Arendelle over Viaduk. Only confirming the squire's ludicrous reports.

"Chart," Anna rasped with a dry throat. "I come in my father's stead. Show me enemy troop movements."

The map remained static. If it had a face it would have smirked at her. Frustrated, Anna tried three more times until the map finally showed some movement. Blue cloth descended over the map, the white embroidering within showing a message.

"We serve only the True Sovereign."

With an indignant huff, Anna spoke again, "Excuse me, but I am the Crown Princess! In serving Father, you have to serve me too. I'll be the Queen pretty soon too! I mean, I'm not sure whether I can handle it, but I'm sure I'll work out something, ha-"

Anna was cut off by the embroidery moving again.

"Self-doubt and self-assurance a Queen does not make. Reclamation has begun."

The blue veil receded, and an alarming mass of both white and red began to slowly spread across the Chart. The inanimate object took great pleasure in tracing out in extra precision the precise route the troops took.

Far off somewhere, Anna knew, armies of flesh and sinew marched alongside armies of ice and snow. A Sorceress and a Slav led them forward. A magician and a barbarian. She ignored the sinking feeling in her heart that this was wrong, and substituted it with images of the huge armies of animated elements and huge, hulking barbarian Russians sweeping across the trails. Unless something was done, the next village would fall, and then the next and the next. Until they were right at the gates.

Returning to the gathered noblemen, she told them to rally their armies.

* * *

Viaduk

Elsa walked through the streets, surveying the population. Most of them were ragged and bone thin, a select few not much more than walking skeletons. At first her icy drones had been regarded with unease, but the fact that they were being led by a human allayed any fears they had. Not to mention of course, the supplies she'd brought that lifted their spirits. Elsa made a mental note to thank Officer Tupolev if she saw him again. Without the food she could have been standing in a very different place, in a very different position. Fortunately for her though, the citizens' hunger for food and justice was satisfied, and as her name was chanted with fervour, they gazed in awe at the ice soldiers that marched up and down the streets, ever watchful for threats.

Elsa sighed as she began to actually think about what she was doing. _None_ of her plans before the action in Tsarov had involved actually marching against Arendelle cities proper, much less alongside the Imperial Russian Army. However her 'sources' in Arendelle City itself had revealed the stark contrast between the beautiful city that stood on the banks of the Fjord of Arendelle and this _settlement_ out at the Edge of the Kingdom. It was disgraceful, and disgusting. She had no doubt that the Queen in her little castle didn't have an _inkling_ of knowledge as to what had been going on out here. The Kingdom did not stand on the shoulders of its monarch, or the corrupted and tyrannical nobles that ruled its various towns. It stood on the shoulders of a solitary monarch hated and forgotten by all. A monarch of the elements themselves. Elsa didn't like to admit her sister's incapability to rule, but the entire Kingdom would have fallen apart long ago if not for her intervention.

"Your Majesty?" A voice broke into her thoughts.

Elsa's frosty sapphire orbs shifted to rest on the newcomer, a warrior clad in an Arendelle military uniform. He laid his sword on the ground, but the hundred or so men behind him still held their rifles.

Glancing about herself, Elsa realized that she'd wandered into a deserted alleyway. Quelling her heart as it began to beat faster, she conjured over herself a suit of armour made of glowing blue ice. Her voice was frosted over with caution as she answered. "I am not your Queen, why do you address me so?"

To her surprise, once the awe left the soldier's eyes, he dropped to his knees, the men behind him following suit. Rifle muzzles pointed straight up, unmoving as the leader began to speak. "It was vital to resist, for there were some still loyal to our diseased Kingdom. However, none of them still stand among us. I, Captain Misriah of the Third Viaduk Company, and all my hundred and thirty men, pledge allegiance to you, My Queen."

The soldiers stood in unison, boots slamming into the ground as all came to attention. The Pledge of Allegiance rolled of practiced mouths, swearing to defend the Queen and lay down their lives for her if need be. Upon completion the insignia and helmet plumes denoting ranks in the old Arendelle Army were ripped off, and thrown to the floor in a flurry of movement. The soldiers stood facing forward, waiting expectantly for her reaction.

Elsa touched her mouth in wonder at the spectacle before her. Rebellious elements had existed for a long time. All the same, a hundred and thirty fresh warriors for the cause was quite something. Her eyes glistened with happiness and warmth as she hid a smile behind her hand.

"I say, put me down immediately!"

A pompous voice bellowed down the alleyway, and the shadow of a struggling man slid into view. _Wait, what? Slid_?

"Unhand me, you ice cubes!" A fat man clad in rich purple robes and heeled boots was dragged into view by two ice soldiers. Thick spectacles rested on his nose and his head was balding. By the way his hands drummed uselessly on the ice warriors' arms, he hadn't done a single day of honest work in his life. As he continued raining insults and curses on his captors, he struggled and twisted, further aggravating them. Wordlessly, the ice soldiers swung him backwards, before flinging him forward hard, and he landed in a heap in front of Elsa.

Utterly bewildered, Elsa blinked and looked up from the moaning bundle of flesh. "Who's this?"

His beady eyes narrowing in rage, the man spat up at her. "I, am Jarl Steinhoff of Viaduk, and I demand that you release me this instant!" Turning towards a smirking Misriah, one of his fingers stabbed towards Elsa. "Captain, capture this woman! This is treason!"

The Jarl was positively stunned when Misriah instead thwacked his face with a beret, and he fell onto his porky behind. "How dare you!" He raged. The now dangerously stoic captain did not even grace him with a reply. He gestured and received a rifle from one of his men.

Not wasting a second, the bayonet stabbed into the Jarl's stomach, unimpeded by any amount of insulating fat. "Treason would be you," Misriah hissed, "for deceiving our own Queen." He squeezed the trigger, and Steinhoff's organs leaked out through a hole in the back of his stomach. He kicked the corpse off the bayonet and polished it with a rag. The round was ejected before it was returned to its owner. Elsa raised an eyebrow, impressed by this show of loyalty.

Raising her arms, a few gestures forged pauldrons of solid ice on the arms of every one of the soldiers. As they gazed at these new accessories in wonder, Elsa arched her back, allowing power to flow from her heart into the pauldrons, infusing them with a bright blue glow. Her gaze softened as she began to speak, "Captain Misriah, I would like to thank you for your bravery, and loyalty to Arendelle as a country."

Gesturing to the pauldrons, she continued, "These pauldrons of un-melting ice will identify you as the Hundred and Thirty Lieutenants of my army. Our minds are linked, and the power to shape ice is yours." The soldiers gasped in awe as ice weapons materialized in their hands with crackles and hisses, glowing blue and shifting forms as easily as fluid, a multitude of different devices taking shape and disintegrating at the same time. "Command well," Elsa said, drawing their attention once more. "The 'men' bound to you await behind, my fellows.

A loud hissing heralded the materialization of a hundred ice soldiers behind each of the men. The animated statues moved mechanically, forming themselves into strict formation. Spears materialized in their hands as they, along with their commanders, saluted their new leader. Their new Queen.


	2. Chapter One: The Door Opens

Chapter One: The Door Opens

6 months the war had progressed, and it was becoming painfully obvious that Arendelle was losing.

_Or rather_, Anna corrected herself, _Arendelle was winning_.

Her Uncle Jakt had laid King Josef to rest about 3 months ago, about the same time that Stronius had fallen- no, been Reclaimed. He had since ordered the removal of the offending Chart from the war room, but it did nothing to allay the new Queen's fears that her crown belonged on the head of another.

The noblemen and others continually assured her that the entire war was a particularly bad case of rebellion and treason against the crown. Perhaps the Chart had been corrupted by Elsa's dark sorcery? She wanted to believe them. Perhaps the Ice Queen had indeed found a way to channel her power into the Chart, corrupting it and bending it to her will. However, the Chart never lied. Her father, the late Josef, had a deep distrust and dislike for magic, his constant rejections of friendly contact by Elsa testimony to that. However, this unfounded dislike of magic did not extend to the Chart, and she had personally seen him seriously consider following some of its instructions before, in fact even going ahead with a few directives, winning him many engagements. King Josef disliked magic, but if it would assist him, he was fine with it. He placed utter trust in the Chart's powers, for it had helped him to forge Arendelle's empire, creating the Kingdom as it is today.

_Was_, a voice in Anna's mind cynically reminded her. _And, you're not even the Sovereign_.

Her vision clouded, and an alternate version of herself faced off against her. The replica's strawberry blonde hair was tied back in two braids, much resembling herself as a Princess, but looked older and was clad in a purple winter cloak, green and black dress under it. The crown was missing from her head.

However, those emerald eyes so known for being constantly filled with mirth and optimism, were cold and dark now. Anna's duplicate's mouth curled into a sneer, and she mockingly curtsied. "My Queen," she snickered, her voice dripping with contempt, taunting Anna where she stood.

Clamping her mouth shut and resisting the urge to launch into another one of her famous ramblings, Anna instead gathered herself. "What's done is done, Elsa has no place here."

The alternate Anna's form shimmered and she covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed mirthlessly. "Yes, and what will be, will be." As she spoke, she turned and walked off into the corridor. An invisible force bore Anna to her feet, and she began her pursuit, as fast as the heels she wore would allow. Wobbling unsteadily, she pressed forward and continued to gain on her duplicate, who had noticeably slowed down. A signal to catch up!

As she caught up and began to walk beside her duplicate, the latter spoke again. "Do you know where we are, Anna?" In response to her question, Anna looked about them. It seemed almost foolish to ask. There was no mistaking the familiar stone walls, portraits of the previous royal families on the wall, even Joan as they walked past the painting gallery. "We're in the castle…Right?" Her eyes widened in surprise as her duplicate gave a small smile and shook her head. Confused and perplexed, Anna stole a glance out of a window they passed, and gasped in shock, stopping dead in her tracks. Beyond Arendelle Castle was nothing, only tendrils of light originating from the castle and snaking out into the endless dark, sometimes gathering into clumps that emitted pulses of light once every few heartbeats.

"Welcome to your mind, Anna," her alternate proclaimed, spreading her arms wide. "What you see here, is everything you have ever known!"

Thinking it to be another taunt, Anna raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the proclamation. She folded her arms and turned to face her duplicate, almost matching her jaded look. Only her voice bore any trace of her true self. "But… There's nothing here outside the castle!"

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of her counterpart turning to face her, almost mistaking it for a mirror. Her counterpart's eyes were no longer cold and cynical, instead glistened with tears and were filled with sadness. The trembling of her lower lip only added to her vulnerable exterior. Wrapping the cloak more tightly around herself, she sniffled. "No, it's not much now, is it?" Anna reached out a hand to comfort her, but she flinched away. After regaining her composure, she cast a glance out the window.

Anna's eyes followed hers, and settled on a tendril of light that seemed to… be in combat. As Anna watched, blue lightning crackled along the tendril, attacking it and seeming to hold it back as it continued trying to extend itself and connect to _something_.

"Strange isn't it?"

Anna whirled around. That was not her voice. Who else was here?

Her duplicate had vanished, in her place was an eight-year-old girl who looked… vaguely familiar to Anna. Platinum blonde hair hung down in a ponytail extending to her lower back, the top part held in place by a blue hairband on top of her head. An aquamarine dress hung down to below her knees, black stockings continuing down to a pair of sky blue shoes, the entire colour combination seeming to complement her sapphire eyes staring brightly up at Anna.

Anna moved her hand up to push her jaw closed. A lump leapt into her throat as she stared at a face she had not seen for a total of thirteen years, the face of her childhood playmate, best friend. In fact, only friend. "Aslemai…?" She breathed uncertainly.

The little blonde nodded brightly. "I'm sorry I stopped coming to play, figured you wouldn't want to see me anymore after you fell off that sled. Wanna see where I went?"

"O-okay…" Anna stuttered, as Aslemai grabbed her hand and began to drag her along. _Hidden Beauty, that's what her name means_, she thought. Watching the little girl drag her along, a light bounce in her step, she still disagreed. How could there be any more beauty left to hide?

Some 15 minutes later they were climbing down the stairwell that led to the Lower Bowels, a part of the castle that Anna had seldom, if ever visited. Despite knowing that she was in her own mind, Anna soon began to feel…apprehensive. She could tell they were not alone, the dungeons' musty smell carried a whiff of an alien presence. As they pressed deeper, blue electricity appeared, crackling along the walls. Something obviously did not welcome their presence.

Suddenly, Aslemai screamed and fell to the ground, her hand held out protectively in front of her. Scrambling back frantically, she wrapped herself around Anna's leg and peeked out through her fingers.

As Anna kneeled and comfortingly (she hoped) stroked the younger girl's silky blonde hair, a lone ice warrior loomed out of the darkness in front of them. With a crackling sound it opened its gauntlet, a shaft of ice rapidly forming itself into a blade within it, humming and crackling with blue energy. Raising its sword, its entire form shimmered and it raised its other gauntlet, a single finger pointing behind them. _Go back_.

Anna shook her head fervently, and the warrior continued to advance. As its footsteps got closer and closer, the temperature began to drop more and more, and Anna was soon able to breathe mist from her mouth. A whoosh of cold air buffeted them as it slashed its blade through the air.

She continued to stand her ground even as the warrior clomped to a stop in front of her, its blade raised threateningly. "Anna, I'm scared!" came the frightened cry from between Aslemai's hands, and she felt moisture on her leg as the eight-year-old began to sob in fear and despair. Softly prying Aslemai from her leg and placing her behind her protection, Anna stabbed an indignant finger into the ice warrior's face. "It's not nice to be telling people what to do in _their own heads_!" Enraged, the ice warrior raised its sword higher, but Anna was quicker. In one smooth motion, she launched a hard kick straight at its chest, the stiletto of the heel slamming into the centre of its chest.

Spiderwebs of cracks began to spread over its chest as the frozen heart within was punctured by the stiletto shoe. The fragments tinkled to the floor along with the sword, and began to melt away into nothing. The mighty guardian was dead.

Peeking out again from behind Anna, Aslemai let out a whimper, "Is he gone?" "Yes," nodded Anna. "He's gone."

"I'm sorry for getting you into this, Anna," the little blonde looked up sadly, tears congealing in her pretty sapphire eyes. "It was an accident… Do you still wanna go with me? I keep letting you get hurt I'm so sorry-"

Anna simply reached down and grabbed her hand, cutting off the apology, and gave her a reassuring smile. Aslemai, seeing this, dried her eyes and continued leading her downwards. After another uneventful ten minutes, they stopped in front of a door at the bottom of the stairwell, crossbars intersecting all over the door, reinforcing it. It was marked with a single white snowflake. Anna stiffened.

The same flake on the Chart.

Seeing if not sensing Anna's hesitancy, Aslemai pouted and crossed her arms. "Come on, we already got this far, don't you wanna know?" Breathing in deeply, Anna turned the doorknob.

The door instantly flew open as though being sucked inwards by some invisible force. Anna felt a blinding, freezing pain in her head as she was sucked in along with Aslemai. Screaming, she watched as a few select strands of her hair turned white, running a silver streak through one of her braids. Ignoring the pain, she forced her eyes open, even as events began to re-enact themselves before her eyes.

Three years old, little Anna and Aslemai a year or two older than her, building a snowman out in the hot sun. Wait. Hot sun? She blinked and her mouth dropped open as she saw her younger self shaping snow into spherical shapes on the ground, even as Aslemai gestured all around her, summoning more snow for them as though it were a perfectly natural thing to do. Anna laughed as Aslemai conjured snow in the palm of her hand and jammed it down her parka, soon transitioning into a playful scream.

Four years old, decorating the tree for Christmas. "Mom," she whined, "our tree wouldn't look real without some snow to go with it!" Smiling kindly, her mother answered, stating the obvious as her justification. "Well dear, the snow would melt in here and we wouldn't want a wet tree on our hands would we now?" Little Anna folded her arms and sat in a corner, pouting. Aslemai stepped into the room right after. "Don't worry, little sis, let me try something," she said brightly. Turning her shining eyes to the tree, she gestured again, inducing the formation of snowflakes and icicles. Anna watched her younger self's smile widen as the tree was covered in a light dusting of unmalting snow, a giant snowflake resting on the top of the tree. She cheered and hugged her sister Aslemai tightly. Wait, sister? Anna furrowed her eyebrows. The snow was brought in by her dad… right? Aslemai was her _sister_? _What_?

Six years old, on Christmas Eve, Little Anna had been too excited to sleep, and stolen into Aslemai's room for some kind of entertainment. Needless to say, this had ended with them sneaking into the ballroom and Aslemai using her powers to turn it into a winter wonderland. Huge snowmen materialized and snowdrifts were created simply for Anna to slide on, flying off at the end into the air. "Anna, slow down!" Aslemai shouted, her eyes widened as she tried hard to catch her sister on new snowdrifts. Recklessly, Anna stuck out her tongue at her sister and threw a snowball at her.

As it struck, Aslemai lost her concentration and looked away, wiping her face. It did not take Little Anna long to realize that she was falling from a height of at least ten metres, without a buffer. She screamed. Aslemai immediately looked up and blindly fired a blast in an attempt to save her, but in uncalled for accuracy struck her head instead. Little Anna tumbled to the ground, unconscious, and Anna herself could almost feel the chill as she watched the white streak force its way down her braid. The memory began to dim, as Little Anna lost consciousness. Determined to see it through to the end, Anna willed her younger self to remain awake at least awhile longer. Aslemai cradled her ice-cold body, sobbing and whispering, "I'm sorry for getting you into this, Anna…"

"It was an accident…"

And that was the last thing before King Josef's roar, "Elsa _what_ _have_ you done?" caused Aslemai's eyes to shoot up fearfully and the memory went black.

Shaking her head, Anna woke again on the floor of the dungeon, staring at the bed with baby blue sheets that Aslemai now sat on. She watched in a mixture of awe and disbelief as her suspicions were confirmed. Aslemai smiled and her appearance began to shift. Her hair became longer, the ponytail and hairband replaced by a loose braid that hung over her shoulder. Her cheeks became slowly more angular and her womanly features developed, hips enlarging. The sapphire eyes faded to a more icy shade of blue topaz, yet the bright shine within still persisted. Anna gazed in wonder at the beautiful platinum blonde on the bed, smiling at her.

"Hello sis," she said in a voice like music as her smile broadened. "Now you know where I went."

Anna's eyes filled with tears as she ran into the arms of the elder sister she'd forgotten, embracing her tightly, not letting go despite the cold bleeding through her clothes from her sister's hands.

She understood now.

Aslemai.

I-Am-Elsa.


	3. Chapter Two: The Storm Inside

Chapter Two: The Storm Inside

The strings wrapped themselves around empty flagpoles in the city of Aspen. Most residents were already dead to the world, yet the loud shouts and cheers of Russian soldiers and local rebels continued to punctuate the night. Gathered around bonfires burning the corpses of Loyalist troops, the citizens, soldiers and rebels alike raised their voices and bottles in salute as a squad of ice soldiers marched in. With their usual mechanical precision, they stoically raised a blue banner with a white snowflake before forming into a line in front of the city centre's flagstaff. Their weapons melted away and they saluted.

As the ice soldiers marched off to resume their patrol duties, the others continued their celebrations. The Hundred and Thirty Lieutenants congregated for a quiet drink in the town hall, discussing the next movement to be made.

At the edge of the town, in a house half-destroyed, blue-topaz eyes stared upwards into the night sky. The winds of winter swirled here, and the premises were covered in a light dusting of snow.

Turning on her side to look at the shattered walls of the city, Elsa sighed and contemplated the situation.

6 months had passed since the opening offensives on Viaduk and Krukoslik, the former had gained her a Hundred and Thirty Lieutenants, bound to her. By the fall of the next stronghold at Stronius, the number of rebels marching alongside her army of thirteen thousand ice soldiers had swelled to nearly half that. Eventually they had been recruited by the Russians to replace their losses, once again leaving Elsa and her Lieutenants alone.

Elsa's gaze wandered to a shattered sculpture on the floor, a bust of the former governor, Jarl Bjorn. No doubt the slimy newt was already en route to Arendelle City, if he had not already arrived. That slanderous mouth of his was probably already spreading rumours, trying to galvanize the remnants of Arendelle's military into recapturing his territory.

That, was precisely the root of her dilemma.

In the past six months of fighting, Elsa and the Russian Army had travelled as liberators, rebel elements within mostly overwhelming the already weak defences and letting them in. Elsa had seen innocent citizens throw themselves desperately into rifle fire in protest. Some had even picked up dropped swords, hacking and slashing away at Loyalists, unfazed by the sheer volume of blood that spurted everywhere. The tears of happiness gushing as they received food and warm clothing, embracing each other's bony frames, warmed hearts. With renewed fervour rebels had swung and stabbed at their former comrades. Warriors from cities far and wide ignored the stab and blast of cutlass and cannonade, ignoring the rifles and chain guns. All ran forward with inhuman courage, for a chance to rip the royal pennant from its pole and throw it on the bonfire, mindlessly echoing cheers in any language, celebrating victory.

Inside though, Elsa was still torn. Perhaps the fighting spirit was a little too strong…?

Images of the streets in other cities, craters in the streets, and smoking ruins of buildings and hundreds of corpses, some even holding _unfired_ rifles, littering the road.

No matter what, she decided, Arendelle was still her home.

She had spent little of her life free before her father the King had chosen to stage her death and lock her in the dungeon, but many of those streets and parks still held precious memories for her. Peter the chocolatier, and his father, always bringing her sweets when she appeared. The schools in many districts of the city, where she had made many friends, at least until she had been withdrawn because of her… _curse_.

Elsa sighed again, more heavily this time. She knew for a fact that barely three and a half thousand troops remained to defend Arendelle. Her fists clenched in anger as she replayed the images her snow birds had shown her. Arendelle's scorched earth tactics had placed hundreds of essential, but innocent personnel under the sword. Her spies had watched as those cowardly excuses for soldiers coldly stabbed, decapitated and shot them before fleeing west towards Arendelle City. Frost oozed from her fingertips and Elsa's irises shifted to a bright blue sapphire. Even without the Russian intervention force, the frozen legions she had conjured could overrun Arendelle's defences by sheer force of numbers alone. She could even see it in her head, her powers whipping up blistering winter winds that shielded the army from cannon fire, storms of hailstones pelting the entrenched Arendelle positions as she walked forward across the frozen Fjord of Arendelle, one hundred and thirty columns of troops marching behind.

And yet, that could not be.

The frozen warriors possessed more than enough numbers and forms to storm the city. But that made her no better than the many warlords that the Russians opposed. Elsa curled up tighter, casting her eyes to the sky. Righteous motives changed nothing, to truly win Elsa could not resort to brute force. Loyalists had to be won over, or soon the forces she now commanded would be allied against her.

Aurorae appeared in the night sky, the twisting bands of multi-coloured light mesmerized Elsa, and soon the icy blue glare in her eyes faded away. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake," she murmured, repeating something Anna frequently said in order to get her out of bed to play.

Well, that did it.

She clenched a now gushing hand to her chest, but the icy magic did nothing to sooth the pain and sadness as she thought of her former sister.

Before her confinement, she had caught one glimpse of Anna before King Josef in all his rage and anger, had begun her "Purification". Through all the beatings and loneliness, Elsa's mind had refused to let go of that last image of Anna, unconscious on a stretcher, the streak of white forcing its way through her ginger braids. That single image and the guilt it induced had kept the storm inside of her at bay, quelling the urge to simply let it go, and unleash her devastating power on everything in sight. Elsa had simply gritted her teeth, and channelled her power into other creations, more benign, electing instead to fill her prison with the prison with the cold that was her only ally in a lonely world.

She'd basked in the eye of the storm, hiding in its relative calm until one day when she was fourteen.

_"Come on, Rapunzel!" A loud voice shouted outside the door. "Let's see what's in here!" Elsa's jerked up. That voice sounded familiar. Very familiar. _Anna?_ There were rattles outside as the soldiers outside the door raised their rifles. "Your Highnesses," one of them said in a gruff voice. "you are not allowed in here, please turn back."_

_ "I am the Princess," Anna huffed indignantly, Elsa could almost imagine her pouting outside, hands on her hips. "I request- no, I demand entry for me and my companion!" Light footsteps outside as someone else –no doubt Rapunzel- arrived. Two shuffles as the guards uneasily shifted their weight. Elsa smirked. Obviously, the King had not counted on the guards having to face off against Anna, especially an excited Anna._

_ "With all due respect, your Highness," the guard tried again, a hint of steel in his voice now as the rifle's muzzle rose slightly. "The King himself-" He was cut off as Anna slapped the rifle away and shoved him into his comrade. Amid the clattering and shouting, Elsa heard Anna run to the door, before it flew open with surprising force._

_ "A-Anna…?" Elsa breathed, as she looked at the girl who now stood before her._

_ She had not changed a bit. Those rosy, lightly freckled cheeks were exactly as Elsa remembered, albeit more angular. Anna's signature twin braids also remained, and those bright emerald eyes still stared up into her own with mischief, innocence and … confusion?_

_ "Oh, hi there!" Anna burst into a smile and gave a small wave. "So, you live here, huh? Nice place, even if it's the dungeon… Oh, but its not tiny, no! I think it's more like cozy. Never gonna find out why Father kept you here, crazy man isn't he, for a King! Locking up a nice person like you…"_

_ Elsa's mouth could fit an entire ice-cream into it, cone and all. _What_ was Anna doing? "An-Anna," she stammered. "Don't you remember me? It's Elsa…"_

_ Anna's rambling paused and she turned back to her, just as Rapunzel, in a pink dress, stepped in. Squinting at Elsa, she flicked her eyes up thoughtfully before answering. "Nope! Although I did have a playmate named Aslemai who was blonde too. You look just like her, RAPUNZEL, what do you think?"_

_ As she continued to ramble on to Rapunzel, Elsa was no longer listening. Her heart pounded like a mallet against her chest as she shook her head in disbelief. Squinting through misty eyes, Elsa could see that Anna's perfect strawberry blonde hair was indeed, perfect –there was no sign of the white streak. Her eyes rolled to meet Anna's and she gasped when she saw the iridescent orbs flecked-no, _tainted_ with blue streaks that appeared and disappeared at random. "Magic," she hissed to herself. Of course, how else would the King have been able to isolate them from each other, as though the other didn't exist?_

_ "Um…hello?" Elsa flicked her gaze back to Anna to see the girl waving at her uncertainly. "I'm not sure what you just said, but would you like so come upstairs and get something to eat…?"_

_ Elsa's vision misted up and she brought her hand to her heart. That was Anna, always to kind-hearted, ever to people she did not know, even prisoners._

_ Even to people who had hurt her before._

_ Elsa felt her blood boil as she slipped very close back into the raging storm. Had she not already endured enough? Enough punishment? Enough isolation? What right did her father have to erase those precious memories? What right did he have to take Anna away from her? Her only friend. Her _sister_._

_ Tears of anger and sadness rolling down her cheekc, Elsa fought to control her emotions and looked away from Anna. "S-sorry, I-…" She stammered and let her voice trail off, panting heavily as cold, hard rage tore her heart apart. As her vision took on a bluish tinge, Elsa simply shrugged. Laughing hysterically, she unclenched her fists and felt the power flow. _Can't hold it back anymore.

I've had enough of this,_ she thought, still giggling. _If I can't be myself here, in my own home, and be happy, then it's time I found a new home._ With a shriek of rage, Elsa simply surrendered to herself, and let it go._

_ As insanely strong winter winds began to howl in the dungeon, a vortex of hail and snow ripped Elsa's dress to shreds. Not pausing even for a second, a new one composed of microscopic threads of ice formed, complemented by an intricate suit of ice plate armour, engraved with snowflake designs. As she waved her hands, the icy magic gushing forth probed the dungeon walls, blue tendrils seeking out every imperfection, dent and crack. Exploiting these weaknesses, icicles ran their way through them, and as the fractures widened, a loud cracking sound heralded the inevitable._

_ Turning back to face the transfixed Anna and Rapunzel, Elsa casually flicked her wrist, directing but a mere fraction of the vortex's strength onto them. A chilling gale expelled them both, and Elsa stormed out not a second before the dungeon imploded, her footsteps freezing the floor over and hail swirling around her._

_ "Rapunzel! Rapunzel!" Elsa looked over to see Anna calling her fallen friend, voice and octave higher than usual. Rapunzel was impaled on an icicle tinged red both with blood and Elsa's rage. The entire hallway was sealed off with them, but Anna was miraculously unscathed. Not breaking her stride, Elsa narrowed her eyes and dissolved the icicle, then sealed the injury with another coating of ice. What little was left of the rational part of her hoped Anna's friend would survive._

_ The unnaturally red tinge of the ice slowly consuming the castle needless to say, drew many guards. However, Elsa was ruthless in their dispatch. Often not even stopping, her icy gaze froze gunpowder in the barrel, before her rage simply blew the guards away or pelted their armour into Swiss cheese._

_ When she finally reached the throne room Elsa found her father still feigning bravado, although a quiver in his sword hand that had been absent while he faced the mightiest armies was present. The power of the storm flung his astonished Advisors into the walls, and King Josef pleaded for his life, apologizing and vomiting justifications for what he had done. Elsa ignored his babbling. She heard nothing but the words of a coward. Snap. An icicle plunged into the King's hand, and he dropped the sword, howling in pain. Elsa raised her arm and sent a bolt of cold, hard, black rage and hatred straight into his heart._

_ Instantly, her father stopped talking, simply staring at her. Not a hint of hatred or accusation manifested in them. Rather, the widened orbs stared up at her in shock, as he raised a hand to his heart. Eventually, it shifted to resignation as King Josef's broken heart and body crumpled to the floor. The storm subsided as Elsa's rage dissipated, only her icy armour remaining._

_ "Father!" Anna's voice broke the silence. "Father, where- Father!" Her sister ran into the room, throwing her arms around the body, pleading for him to wake up. Stupidly, Elsa stared and watched her futile attempts to rouse him. _

_ "S-sorry," Elsa stuttered, Anna's head whirling eyes filled with hurt, "if it's worth anything." With that, she spun on her heel. A wave of her hand conjured a gargantuan snow owl, and she soared out of the castle, trying her best to ignore the frightened cries of townspeople below cursing her sorcery._

Facing up to the sky again, Elsa came to her conclusion. The facts were simple. Her forces combined with those of her Russian allies were more than enough to storm Arendelle City. However, she was adamant that she reclaim her home without having to crush it with sheer might. Most importantly, she could not return unless Anna welcomed her.

Suddenly, a blazing pain surfaced in her head. Gasping, Elsa shot straight up, hands cradling her cranium. As she lowered their temperature to numb the pain, it only seemed to get worse, like an icicle was buried in her skull.

Scrunching her eyes shut, she gritted her teeth as the pain surged… and subsided. As did the glow of aurorae. It was replaced by a more…familiar glow flickering torchlight.

Just the feel of the bed beneath her removed Elsa's need to open her hands.

She knew she would find blue sheets, eight torches and cold, grey and cracking stone walls.

The doorknob jiggled, and removing her eight-year old… but she was twenty-three! Elsa's mind soon dismissed the confusion however, as the glint of an Arendelle amethyst heralded the entry of Queen Anna of Arendelle, now twenty-one years old and newly coronated.

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but it simply hung there as she watched Anna freeze on the spot, and widen her eyes at the empty air. Tears filled her eyes as she saw Anna's teal eyes regain their old colour, now untainted by the streaks of magic. Elsa struggled hard against an invisible force to go comfort her sister, but to no avail. She was made to simply sit idle and watch as Anna's face contorted in pain and a streak of white forced its way through the strawberry blonde.

After what seemed like forever, Anna seemed to come to herself, as whatever it was she had been seeing disappeared. Drying her eyes, Elsa made a move to smile at the girl, trying her best to keep her cool. It was not until Anna's eyes widened that Elsa realized she was shapeshifting again. As her limbs lengthened, her hair lengthened as well, returning to her present-day form.

Looking up, she hesitated. What if Anna still didn't remember? Seeing no trace of the confusion in Anna's eyes all those years ago, Elsa gave a cautious smile. "Hey, sis," she began. "Now you know where I went."

Nothing could have prepared her for the way Anna's already glistening eyes began to tear fiercely, and practically launched herself into Elsa's arms. Nor was she prepared for the feel of tears on her own cheeks and that feeling of unbelievable happiness as she embraced her sister for the first time in thirteen years.


	4. Chapter Three: The Greatest is Behind

Chapter Three: The Greatest is Behind

Before Anna could even begin speaking, a short, creature covered in some kind of moss or lichen materialized, head bowed. Instantly, they jumped apart, Elsa pushing Anna behind her and conjuring an ice sword in her hands. Anna's emerald orbs widened. Elsa could do that?! She had to clap a hand over her mouth to prevent her awe from being vocalized.

In front of them, the grey creature straightened up. It was clad in a tunic of sorts, woven with grass. Atop its head sat a crown of intricately bent branches, each spike topped with a different coloured stone, and finally around its neck, almost obscured by a grassy beard, was a necklace of various animal teeth.

"Greetings your Majesties," a voice gruff with age and wisdom spoke, "Queens of Ice and Arendelle. It has come then, Reclamation." Gesturing to Elsa with an arm, eyes shining brightly, the stout creature looked up. "Shouldn't you be putting that away, Elsa? Honestly, I thought you would know better."

Anna stole a glance at her sister. She gasped as Elsa instead raised the sword higher. "Identify yourself," she commanded frostily, the sword beginning to take on a reddish tinge.

Unperturbed, the grey creature simply laughed, much to Anna's astonishment. Bowing low, he spoke, "I am known as Pabbie, Shaman King of the Valley of the Living Rock. Yes, the place and the trolls exist. In fact, it isn't more than a half hour's horseride from Arendelle City." He chuckled as the sisters' incredulous looks widened. Then, his eyes turned serious. "I was the one who modified your memories, Anna, at the King's request." Anna struggled to hold back her sister, taking advantage of years of tree-climbing to grip the blonde who was quivering with barely concealed rage. The ice blade slashed haphazardly as Elsa struggled to get free.

Pabbie stepped back gingerly, narrowly avoiding the blade as it whistled past his beard. "Perhaps, Elsa," he enunciated calmly, "you might realize that here in Anna's mind you cannot possibly harm me, for my mental shields protect me better than your sword possibly can. Not to mention that if you miss, you will, quite literally, slice Anna's mind apart."

Anna only let go of her sister when Elsa had stopped shaking, the sword melting away into nothing. Still clinging on to Elsa's hand more for Anna's support than hers, Anna gave it a light squeeze, feeling weirdly reassured when she felt it reciprocated.

Then of course, Pabbie just had to speak. "Of course, Anna, you must now be wondering why Elsa cursed your father and the two of you are in fact fighting a war with each other."

Anna felt the icy grip on her hand tighten, and she hissed from the sudden temperature drop. Looking up, she saw Elsa's wide sapphire eyes looking at her in fear. As the blonde opened her mouth to speak, Pabbie cut in again. "Now, Elsa, I'm sure you know the saying. A picture speaks a thousand words." He flicked his gaze to Anna. "The ah… accident when you were younger placed a shard of ice inside you. The magic's link to Elsa linking you as well. Also, you do have immunity to her magic now, and a certain amount of sway over her creations." Pabbie turned back to Elsa. "Go on! You're already mentally linked, holding hands helps even more. Just think and show her!"

Anna turned to her sister and gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Almost instantly she was stonewalled, as an infuriating mantra was repeated over and over, cancelling out the flickering images. "Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show… Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know… Conceal, don't feel…"

As though sensing her sister's prying, Elsa's mind shut itself up even more, suppressing the flickering images. Panicked, Anna tried a different approach. Instead of prying, she sent to her sister a series of images, anything she could think of involving sisterly affection was included. Eating, building snowmen, cuddling in a bed… Slowly, she felt Elsa's control slipping, and that invisible doorway opening slightly. Anna lunged for it, only managing to slip her hand into the crack, forcing it ajar as Elsa's will resisted.

Holding back the urge to simply begin an assault on Elsa's barriers, Anna responded with a simple question, repeated over and over. _Why?_ She felt Elsa's hand stroke her hair, the cold fingers lingering on the streak of white that stood out so prominently.

Understanding, Anna responded with yet another memory. After the accident with Elsa's power, she had in fact met the older girl once while wandering the hallways late at night. Her sister had immediately fled into the nearest room, locking the door with a click. After failing to smash down the door, Anna had instead begun to sing. The exact lyrics she now repeated, her emerald eyes piercing straight into Elsa's sapphire.

"_You don't have to protect me, I'm not afraid!_

_ Please don't shut me out again,_

_ Please don't slam the door,_

_ You don't have to keep your distance anymore!_

_ 'Cause for the first time in forever, I finally understand,_

_ For the first time in forever, we can fix this hand in hand!"_

Continuing to smile at her sister despite the tears of guilt and sorrow gathering in those sky blue orbs, Anna continued.

"_We can head back home together,_

_ You don't have to live in fear!_

_ 'Cause for the first time in forever, I will be right here…!"_

Seeming to make a decision, Elsa took a deep breath and stared back at her. Anna's spirits leaped as she felt the door open, the dungeon around them melting away and reforming, this time the walls smooth, and the torchlight flickering brightly. Following her sister's gaze, she saw the girl as Aslemai sitting on the bed, giggling as she conjured snowflakes, sending them flying around the room in spirals. Anna smiled at the sight of her sister's younger self having fun, the blonde bangs framing her face bouncing gleefully as a snowman took shape in front of her.

With a loud clang, the dungeon door swung open and King Josef marched in, followed by two guards carrying rifles. Elsa immediately froze in place, her topaz eyes wide as the King's face turned ashen. Her hands waved wildly as she tried to erase the evidence of her tomfoolery, but only succeeded in coating the royal sword in frost, the magic continuing to bleed from her hands in her distressed waves.

"Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know… Conceal…" Elsa's voice boomed in the dungeon. Anna glanced over to see her full-grown sister shaking, her eyes squeezed shut. She realized she was hearing Elsa's thoughts at this point as she tried to control her power.

Her father, always so loving and warm to her, was a completely different person. Elsa's memory did not play his exact words, but his expression and the way he waved his arms wildly was more than enough for Anna to grasp what he was saying. As his right index finger jabbed upwards towards the stairs, then came back to stab at the snow in the room, a surge of guilt welled up through their mental link. The King was using Anna as a guilt tool. Anna could feel it as though it were her own memory, Elsa's optimistic mood slowly caving in to sorrow as the little blonde she watched began to shrink into herself. Eventually, the King stopped yelling as Elsa lifted her head to speak to him. "I-I'm sorry Papa, I promise, I v-vow to try h-harder…ah!" She gasped when a touch of her hand caused frost to leap up on the King's cloak. Anna shouted and reached out when the King swiftly backhanded his daughter, sending her sprawling. As young Elsa, her locks of blonde hair now frizzled looked up at the King in shock, Anna's father merely spat on the floor. "No control," he hissed, his voice venom. "Weak! You are no daughter of mine, _Sorceress_." With that, he coldly turned on his heel and left, flanked by his guards, leaving the blonde there feeling her injured cheek. Slowly, Anna felt Elsa's shock shift again, to heart-wrenching sadness as she lay on the ground sobbing, her head in her hands and snow whirling all around her. Just before the sorrow gave way to cold, hard rage, she heard a sniffle. Turning to her left, she saw adult Elsa shaking, barely holding back her own tears.

Raising her hand to her sister, this unbelievably strong young woman, Anna opened her mouth to comfort her, but was halted when Elsa simply forced a small smile and shook her head, the dungeon's walls melting away once again.

When the environment finished rearranging itself, Anna found herself and Elsa on the cold, harsh slopes of the North Mountain. However, this memory was different. The rocks, sparse mountain plants, even the mundane snow had an unnatural clarity to its appearance. As the point of view shifted, Anna found herself staring at a magnificent castle fortress, made completely out of ice, reflecting and breaking the sun's light into multi-coloured rays. Had it not been for the bluish tinge and snowflakes etched into it, Anna could have easily mistaken it for diamond. A shock of blonde hair at the topmost tower (at least twenty feet taller than Arendelle's), and Anna knew who could have created it. She turned to meet Elsa's proud grin.

A glimpse of the ease and speed at which their 'host' traversed the snow, almost as naturally as Elsa, told Anna that she now saw through the eyes of one of Elsa's infamous snow-soldiers.

An uneventful five minutes later, a man carrying nothing but a sword, clad in Arendelle Imperial Forces uniform and bearing the kingdom's crocus on his armour stumbled out of a glade of trees, closely followed by a few other companions. Anna blinked in recognition as she identified the reddish sideburns of Commander Hans Westergaard, the man she had appointed the first ever expedition to find the cure.

_Cure?_ Elsa's thought flowed in, and the memory froze. Feeling an intrusion into her mind, Anna felt Elsa's alarm as she finally realized the true motives of the 'Hunters'. Anna soothed her with a touch to her arm, mentally conveying her understanding as to Elsa's misunderstanding. Wordlessly and unable to face her, Elsa complied with a request to allow the memory to run its course.

"Let us pass, snowman, and perhaps you won't turn into ice-cream," the first soldier sneered, Hans and the other laughing along as they slowly unsheathed their swords and began prodding the unarmed, unarmoured snow being.

The semi-sentient being shut out the annoying noises. With startling cold, ruthless efficiency for something that Elsa, such a warm and caring person had made, its thoughts boomed. "Reinforcements," the cold voice hissed. Then, "Kill."

Anna felt the tingle as the information passed on to Elsa and she complied. Instantly, in a whirl of snow and sleet another soldier assembled itself beside them. A blue tinge passed over their host's vision as the snow soldier connected with its brother. Their mental synchronization was unnerving, as at a unanimous command, full suits of ice plate armour formed on them, intricate designs appearing and razor sharp hooks rising. Anna felt utmost pity for the Arendelle troops as their eyes widened. Mouths hanging open and releasing shocked mist with every quickening breath, they scurried backwards as the snow soldiers raised their hands in unison, sharp swords of ice materializing.

The fight was embarrassing. Arendelle soldiers stumbling in the deep snow were no match for the snow soldiers. As they sure-footedly advanced, the weight of their weapons and the cold, hard strength of ice infused into them smashed through metal swords and armour. One soldier's skill was pulverized through his helmet, while the other's chest-plate was shorn apart by a cold, unforgiving blade, felling both in a shower of ice shards and blood.

As their host turned, Anna saw Commander Hans trying to make a sneaky escape, abandoning his men. Anna heard Elsa's thought boom. "Cowardly excuse for a man. You don't deserve to live, let alone command." He never stood a chance, Anna realized, as he continued scrambling, now out of striking range.

Anna's eyes widened as their host did not move. Instead, it changed the grip on the sword, the weapon melting away and reforming in a shimmer of glowing ice. Anna clapped a hand to her mouth in awe as the unmistakeable shape of a rifle emerged.

As the snow soldier raised the rifle to its shoulder, a hollow tube formed on the top, lenses of the clearest, purest ice forming on each end. "A telescopic sight," Anna gasped. Red tints appeared in the centre of the lenses, acting as crosshairs. As the crosshairs came to rest on the back of Hans' head, a single icicle flew silent and swift, landing where they rested, penetrating the helmet's thin metal and spilling the coward's brains. Hans' body soundlessly crumpled to the snow, the blood and grey matter seeping out of his helmet freezing in the wintry air. Not casting him a second glance, the two snow soldiers turned in unison and marched off, their frozen weapons shifting forms at a blinding pace.

The North Mountain's silhouette against the sky melted away in a flurry of snowflakes, and the memory disintegrated. Anna's mouth opened, only to shut again as she saw motes of blue light appear in the darkness, and the vague form of a forest began to take shape, the blue light slowly transitioning into colours.

_ Exactly how much happened while I still didn't remember?_

_ "A lot," _Elsa replied. "_The greatest is behind._"


	5. Chapter Four: It's Mine

Chapter Four: It's Mine

Motes of blue light gathered together, the fragments assembling themselves into the clear structures of trees, and the inhumanely clear sight of the ice being came into focus. A loud wingbeat was heard and they suddenly found themselves raised up above an enormous tree. Anna eventually realized the huge snow-owl they now sat on was flying over the Forest of Jaela, one if the cities that rebelled years ago, only to be suppressed for no reason at all. Shouts and clashes of steel told Anna something was obviously not right.

A single pass affirmed her suspicions. The city was burning, most of the wooden structures set aflame, sending leaping tongues of flame towards the sky. With a resounding blast, a cannonball smashed into the stone blocks that made up the town hall. A group of soldiers bearing a white-blue-red tricolour on their sleeves lifted their swords and cheered. A group of them ran forward to the next pile of rubbles, clutching rifles to their chests. Anna's mouth tightened into a thin line. Imperial Russian Army. There was no mistaking those brusque commands in some guttural language.

More familiar languages, Anna turned her head and saw small enclaves of French, German and were those… Corona troops cowering behind piles of rubble. The confident Russian move was halted as from two alleyways on either side sprang unmarked men, a man with the Jarl's headpiece at their head. The ragtag band of people ran the Russians through with bayonets, staining the ground scarlet as rifle butts broke all kinds of bones. Anna cringed at the stark contrast between the valiant citizens and the 'soldiers' that the Allied Monarchs had sent to support her diseased, bedridden father and his obviously annihilated army. Elsa's eyes glistened as she caught a glimpse of Anna's memories, their father with his hair white and patterns of ice crystals forming on his skin. Anna kindly took her arm and cleaned away the tears, realizing the true origin of the 'Frozen Heart' ailment. Although she knew that the Russians could not have possibly dared to invade if her father had been healthy, Anna could not shake the feeling that the King deserved it.

Turning back to the carnage before her, Anna literally began strangling the air at the sight of European troops continuing to cower, as the Jarl and his men were slowly pushed back by the Russians. Their rifles long empty, they'd switched to cutlasses and now were in the process of being cut down by Russians firing from cover. Eventually, the Jarl called his men into retreat as two more had their faces turned into strips of flesh and shards of bone, windows blasted straight into the backs of their heads.

"Should we intervene?" A cold, hard voice hissed. Anna was taken completely off guard as Elsa's voice boomed assent. A shock of golden hair zipped by, its owner borne aloft by the wheeling snow owl.

The bird bowed its head and began to shapeshift. The soft snowy feathers hardened and melded together into gleaming crystalline ice fingers, membranes suspended between them. The beak rounded itself, the bird's visage elongating into a serpentine, triangular snout. As the clump of feathers on its tail merged into a long tail, fighting below paused as both sides looked up to witness the transformation occurring above their heads, throwing facets of light all over them.

Europeans and Russians alike stared up in a mixture of fear and confusion, unsurely pointing their rifles upwards. The Jarl and the remnants of his men, in contrast, fell to their knees and cast their weapons aside, allowing Anna a good view of the snowflake insignia on their arms.

The adult Elsa's grip on her arm tightened as a snow blizzard lasting a matter of minutes coated the ground in snow. The huge snow dragon roared and slashed its wings, releasing a volley of icicles towards both sides. A Russian soldier reflexively raised his weapon as one of them thudded into the ground near him, only to quickly throw it aside as it cracked into four sections, and a glittering ice soldier crunched into the snow, rifle materializing in its hands. The faceless troops glared down at the Russians, who were now positively terrified. There was a brief flicker as the image quality changed, now playing Elsa's vision.

To Anna's surprise, the Jarl stood and went towards Elsa as she dismounted the dragon. He saluted to the blonde before shaking her hand like an old friend. "Welcome back, Your Majesty," he said, as her hand was coating in the blood, sweat and grease on his own. "I see you are here to aid us again, after providing your assistance in the Rebellion." Elsa simply nodded and gave him one of her rare smiles, before turning to the Russians.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _Elsa assisted in the rebellion? What?_ If her sister heard her thoughts, she chose not to respond, as the Russians themselves widened their eyes in confusion. Some of the fear in their eyes was replaced by respect as the blonde Scandinavian sorceress before them began to speak in fluent Russian.

Elsa's thoughts translated her words quickly enough.

"Arendelle is weak," she stated. "Their army has crumbled before you, the King is indisposed, the Crown Princess inexperienced." Gazing into the frosty blue orbs, the Russians slowly nodded, although still wrapping themselves in their winter uniforms, the furs the only thing keeping them from freezing to death.

Gesturing around them, Elsa continued. "Moreover, the snow is your ally, so why not? This kingdom is the epitome of wasted potential." The Russians seemed to nod proudly, as their strength was affirmed. However, they quickly sank back into their masks of seriousness as Elsa threw off her furs, revealing the simple ice dress she wore beneath.

Anna watched in awe as she turned around, melting the back of the ice dress briefly, exposing her vulnerable back, marked with scars and scratches from countless beatings. A pane of thick ice stopped an opportunistic bullet, and the Russians watched, quivering in fear as their comrade was torn apart by the ice soldiers.

Elsa turned back to them, sapphire eyes flashing with unbridled rage. Clenching a fist, a freezing wind laced with hail blew. "As much as the King has hurt me, banished me," she spat. "The cold has never bothered me. I _control_ it." An icy suit of plate armour materialized, even as the Russians' rifles splintered, ice forming within rendering the firearms useless.

"The ice is _my_ ally." The kneeling Russians nodded assent. "And it will not permit your presence, defiling my _sister's_ kingdom!" All combatants stiffened as they realized exactly who they were dealing with.

A single brave Russian stood, his insignia identifying him as the Commander-in-Chief. As his men gaped at him, he began to speak English with a very thick, slurring Russian accent. Even Anna had promised had to admire his bravery. "Pardon me, your Highness. If the King has hurt you like you said, then why not join us? You should have the crown, not your sister. Imagine what we can achieve, together." He refused to back down, even under Elsa's freezing glare.

Abruptly, Elsa's icy façade dropped, the armour disintegrating into nothing. Her eyes on the ground, Elsa looked an awful lot like the child on the dungeon floor that Anna had seen earlier. "The King… modified her mind," Elsa sniffled. "I hurt her once, before my imprisonment. She doesn't remember, but I would rather fulfil my role here, as a protector, where she's safe from me."

The Russian commander's hard gaze softened. He took a tentative step forward. When Elsa paid him no heed, he walked to the centre of the battlefield, behind Elsa. Anna drew a breath as he pulled out his service knife, then let it out as he dropped it to the floor. He removed his helmet. "I, Commander Korsakov," he slurred, "call on all the respective commanders of the allied forces to step out here for dialogue."

There was a flurry of movement as four more officers stepped out. Anna studied their insignia. Black eagle against gold. German. Blue-white-red. French. The other two, Corona and Meridian she saw frequently. After mimicking Korsakov's actions, they stepped forward.

Korsakov seemed to summarize Elsa's words, for at the end Anna was finally given a break from the serious atmosphere. The comical sight of one general swooning and awoken by a swift punch from the German brought a chuckle to her lips and a small smile to Elsa beside her.

Patiently, Korsakov outlined some facts to them, and at the end they all nodded, shaking hands on it. Korsakov picked up his knife, bowing to them before marching back to where he had been. Gesturing, he bid his troops rise.

The commander turned back to the blonde before him and spoke again, making an effort to articulate the English. "Your Majesty," he began, Elsa stiffening at the unfamiliar title. "We Russians, children of the ice and snow have always respected its cold, hard strength. You, your Majesty, _are_ the ice and snow. We will stand by our pact with the element." He fell to his knees, the rest of his troops following suit. "We apologize for our intrusion," he said. Behind Elsa, the allied Europeans knelt as well. "We for our inability to defend," they boomed. As Korsakov stood again before the nineteen-year old girl who had brought five armies to their knees, he continued. "Rest assured that we will always stand by Arendelle, and its true Sovereign," he added, pointedly looking her in the eye. The five armies saluted.] Helping Elsa back onto her dragon, Korakov bowed. "You will always be the Queen in Russian eyes. Now go, we will bother this land no more, neither shall a word of you escape." As Elsa soared off, the ice soldiers melted into nothing. The Jarl waved.

The Russians armies turned on their heel and departed as the Europeans took a well-deserved break.

Anna gazed upon her sister in admiration. If she'd heard the Jarl correctly, her sister had intervened during the Outskirts Rebellion, so that made two instances where Elsa had risked her life to hold together a Kingdom that hated her, or for the most part had forgotten about her. Powers or not, that was not relevant. Anna knew that Elsa would have intervened with or without her powers. It was in her nature.

The particles that made up Jaela's skyline rearranged themselves again, with the view now settling on a room in the castle of Arendelle. The reflection of their host, an ice bird, peered out at them from a window. Seated at a long table were various representatives. At once, Anna recognized the five commanders from the previous battle, along with two other representatives… Her teal eyes narrowed with distaste as she saw the Stavanger and Weselton Coats of Arms. Something in Anna's head clicked, an uncommon occurrence. Elsa beside her met her questioning eyes with nodded assent, the blue eyes twinkling with mirth as Anna did a double take at the sight of herself, two years younger, walking into the room.

Anna cringed as she watched herself try to deliver a proposal, to renew trade agreements with all gathered nations. Beside her, Elsa's shoulders shook with the effort of stifling laughter.

At some point, the German commander made direct eye contact with their host. His eyebrows disappeared into his dirty blonde hair as the snow bird raised a wing in greeting. Noticing his poorly concealed shock, the other four followed his gaze and their faces mirrored his. Open mouths and white knuckles the cheerfully waving bird, Elsa's obvious amusement as she controlled its actions clearly showing. Fortunately, Weselton and Stavanger's delegates were staring at their parchments like hawks, and saw none of this peculiarity.

As Anna's droning stopped, the Stavanger and Weselton delegates began firing questions and suggestions, exploiting all loopholes. Anna saw Elsa's eyes narrow in distaste at this, and was again reminded of her good fortune to have her as a sister.

Anna's gaze flicked back to the other five men, now silently conversing with their eyes. A look back at the bird, and they nodded to one another. They stood, and Anna vividly remembered tearing up, ready for more haggling.

Anna heard nothing through the glass window, but remembered enough to add in their voices for Elsa's benefit. Without casting a second glance at his parchment, Korsakov began speaking in his gruff voice, English much improved. "The Kingdoms of Germany, France, Corona, Meridian and Russia," he said, "have unanimously agreed to this proposal. We will always support Arendelle," he paused, looking to the window, "and its True Sovereign."

Completely outnumbered, the Stavanger and Weselton delegates reluctantly sat down, and the memory melted away.

Returning to the safety of Anna's mind, the two sisters sat silently, neither willing to discuss what they had just seen. Elsa panted, sapphire eyes hidden under their lids as she shook from the strain of remembering.

Anna simply stared at her sister, two years older and separated for thirteen years. Yet this woman had sacrificed so much just to hold the Kingdom together, for Anna's sake. _I'm undeserving_. She thought. _Elsa… She'd make such a good Queen. _

_But she's not the Crown Princess._ A voice in her head said. _You know with time, you can do better. If she hadn't frozen Papa into a popsicle, you would have done as well as her, maybe better! _

Rage, resentment, jealousy. Yes, this was all Elsa's fault, wasn't it? If Papa was still alive, he would have taught her. He would have shown her the way to lead until she came of age to succeed.

Anna's eyes darkened as she stared at Elsa's frame.

_If she thinks this Kingdom is hers, then I've got some news for her._

_ It's mine._


	6. Chapter Five: Poisoned Chalice

Chapter Five: Poisoned Chalice

"So that's it then? Taking back what's rightfully yours?"

Elsa jumped and looked at her sister, then shrank under the gaze of those darkened teal orbs.

"I know," Anna continued. "You're angry with Papa, you're angry with the Kingdom, you're angry with me for throwing that snowball. If not for you, this Kingdom would have fallen apart wouldn't it? You're just angry with everyone. But guess what, that doesn't change anything. I'm the Queen here. If you come back and take back what's 'yours' they won't automatically love you-"

"W-what, no, Anna!" Elsa stammered, sweat now gathering under her bangs. She cast a glare at the troll king who now stood, looking away from them.

"THEN WHY?"

Elsa gaped at her sister, now positively livid. Her eyes, normally filled with mirth, were glowing with rage, and the strawberry blonde's frame quivered slightly as she spat, "You know you're angry with father, you killed him! Has it occurred to you that if he was alive he'd have taught me how to manage this Kingdom? Why else would you fight against me?"

Honestly, Elsa had no idea how to answer that. Was there any easy way to further shatter Anna's sheltered world? Beyond the castle her world was the darkness of the unknown, the previous flashbacks had shown her as much. Could Anna handle it? Could _she_ handle it if Anna couldn't? _Don't let them in, don't let them see…_

"Enough with that garbage!" the troll king yelled, the animal teeth around his neck casting a strange glow around the walls of Anna's mind, the vision's boundaries shimmering dangerously. "Your sister lived through the death of two parents, and the stress of two wars! Just show her what she needs to know!" Elsa brought her hand to her mouth, repressing the mantra that attempted to resurface. She met Anna's steely glare briefly, then closed her eyes and began to visualize events that transpired barely months ago.

The dungeon wall's stone blocks disintegrated into nothing, transitioning into ribbons of blue light. When the ribbons finished reconstructing themselves, the streets of the city of Tsarov replaced them. Looking to the fourth alleyway in the street, Elsa located her own blue-cloaked figure and tailed it. Anna followed by her side, looking for some indication as to their location. As Anna's eyebrows furrowed, Elsa knew she was beginning to notice things.

Citizens scattered, casting furtive glances about. Seconds later, a squad of four soldiers marched through the square, their boots clicking on the cobblestones. Their armour hung haphazardly on loose straps, and the fabric around the gleaming buttons on their uniforms was stretched to their limits. If not for the rifles and swords clutched in their fingers, one could have mistaken them for circus performers. Anna scrunched up her nose in disgust, and Elsa echoed her sentiments.

As a little boy ran across the street, carrying a piece of bread and a canteen, one of the soldiers smiled widely, his teeth shining and a predatory glint in his eyes. In a singsong voice, he shouted. "In the name of justice, boy, stay your feet."

The boy came to a stop, trembling and clutching his food. He stared at the floor as the four soldiers drew closer, fingers wrapped around the hilts of their swords. Elsa caught sight of her blue cloak in an alleyway, her sapphire eyes just barely visible as she watched.

The first soldier, distinguishable by the purple plume atop his helmet, lifted the canteen and exchanged a look with his fellows. "This is a military canteen," he said, taking pleasure in the boy's squirming. "Which soldier did you steal it from? You might also want to explain this loaf of bread."

The boy raised his head, and as his face hit the light Elsa heard Anna gasp at the side of his features; hollow cheekbones and his eyes sunken into his skull. The indicators of hunger. Anna couldn't see from here, but from Elsa's position in the alley she saw a mouth full of yellow teeth when the boy began to speak. In a dry rasp, he said, "It was given to me by a soldier, Commander, sir. His name was Alderik. Alderik Southard I think."

The Commander's lip curled even more. Turning to one of the soldiers behind him, he tapped lightly on his identification plate. _Southard_. "Soldier Southard," he said. "Did you give away military rations and property to this peasant here?" The boy's eyes shone hopefully at him. Southard however, was quite visibly sweating and took a long time to answer. Finally, after casting a last glance at the boy, his eyes hardened. "No Commander," he said, voice wavering. "I found my ration and canteen missing this morning. Evidently we know where they went." The coward looked down, refusing to meet the boy's betrayed, pained eyes.

His Commander's eyes glittered. "And the punishment for thievery from the military…is _death_."

Immediately, the streets erupted in a clamour. "But Commander, he's just a boy!" "Look at him Commander, he hasn't had clean water or cooked food for at least five days!"

A gunshot rang out through the air, and the Commander lowered his weapon, the muzzle still smoking.

"Thank you," he hissed, as the mob fell silent. "The Jarl's word is final. Stealing is punishable by death. Say no more, or you may join the boy in the holy matrimony in death. For treason against the Jarl. You swore loyalty to your ruler, so you better give it!"

"I think I remember the pledge saying 'our noble and just ruler'."

The silence was deafening as a figure completely wrapped in a blue cloak exited the alley. Reaching into its cloak, the figure first brought out two canteens, one military green and the other a brown waterskin. Clear, crystal water gushed out as the green one was upended, and the smell of alcohol mixed into it permeated the air. The citizens' eyes thirstily followed the trail of water until it stopped.

Then, the figure upended the waterskin.

Elsa gagged as brackish, brown water oozed out, thick with the stench of age and decay. Anna was coughing from the stench even through the memory. Her sister turned to her. "That…was a citizen's water?" Tears of both rage and sorrow sprang to her eyes as Elsa nodded gravely.

The blue figure next produced two bags. Again, one was military green while the other was worn brown leather. It upended both. From the green one bounced a huge loaf of bread, hurriedly snatched up by an opportunistic child no older than four. The brown one only yielded a few overripe apple slices and rotten wheat stalks. Beside Elsa, Anna clapped her hands to her cheeks, traumatized by the existence of such poverty.

In a distinct female voice, the cloaked figure continued to speak. "My father taught me that there is a bond between ruler and ruled. It is a mutual exchange. Your Jarl has violated this sacred trust. He is undeserving."

At a gesture from the Commander, one of the soldiers slammed his rifle butt into the figure's stomach, causing her to release a small cry of pain and fall to her knees. The Commander grabbed the hood's clasp and backhanded her through it. The citizens began to murmur as the woman coughed blood.

"You dare to use your father as a shield for your treason," the fat soldier snarled, "and speak out against the Jarl? Show your face at least once before you die, woman."

Anna gasped along with the rest of the citizens and Elsa could not resist rolling her eyes. It couldn't have been more obvious. _Trust Anna of all people to miss something like that_.

As soon as Elsa's icy blue eyes and platinum blonde hair were revealed, the crowd erupted into a flurry of activity. "It's the Princess!" "The foreigners spoke truth, she lives!" She smirked at the commander as the soldiers' eyes widened and their rifles began to shake.

When he regained his composure, the Commander's face contorted in fury. "Silence!" he roared. As the cheers died down, he turned back to Elsa. "There is a price on your head, Sorceress. Your treason just added value to it. All that remains is for me to take your head." He slammed her into the wall, and pinpoints of darkness clouded Elsa's vision. Elsa grimaced as the Commander drew his longsword.

"No!"

A long kitchen knife flew from the crowd and thudded into the ground near the Commander's feet.

"I think we've been living like dogs long enough!" A familiar, slurring voice shouted as he ran to the front of the crowd, a headscarf wrapped around his features. Pumping his fist in the air, he shouted. "The Princess returns to aid us, and all you do is stand there? Today, justice is done! Come my brothers, follow me! Kill them all!" He ripped off the bandage around his arm, and shouted, the crowd echoing him. "Kill, kill, kill!" The hungry mob surged forward inexorably, the mysterious man at its head. He drew another knife as he charged, headscarf flying and proudly displaying three colours. White, blue and red.

The soldiers' faces paled, as they unsurely fingered their rifles. "What are you waiting for?" The Commander shouted, his hands still around Elsa's neck. "Make them into Swiss cheese!" Anna gasped as he stabbed straight into the torso of a man in front of him with his sword, unceremoniously kicking the corpse off. Behind him the three riflemen reluctantly opened fire, bullets tearing through the bodies of the citizens. But still the crowd surged forward, fuelled by fury, no mere projectiles would stop them.

A knife stabbed into the Commander's chest, and he clutched the wound, gurgling helplessly as blood spurted from his mouth onto the ground. One of the remaining riflemen was swarmed, and soon a chopper split his face in half. Two loud _crack_s rang through the air, and the last two slumped to the ground, their eyes still staring up sightlessly. The mob's leader withdrew his knife from the Commander's corpse, and unwound the headscarf, revealing the visage of Commander Korsakov.

The younger Elsa stood open mouthed as the Russian soldier thrust a rifle into her grasp. Unsteadily gripping the weapon, she spoke. "How long have you been here?" Korsakov grimaced. "Since this madness began. It used to be a lot worse than this, but my men and I waited and did what we could." A few men wearing similar headscarves stepped to the front of the crowd. "We knew you'd come," he said. "It was only a matter of time. The Russian Army awaits just beyond this border. Your _fool_ of a sister has no idea what is going on out here, we both know she wouldn't allow it. It's time to take back what is rightfully yours."

Younger Elsa's face contorted and she stabbed a finger into the Russian's chest. "My sister is no fool." She hissed. "Is it this bad in other towns?"

As if on cue, two men stepped forward. "Your Majesty," one of them said. "We come from Krukoslik. We used to be soldiers. My…companion here, had his hand cut off for offering food to a villager. If Commander Korsakov weren't here, things would be a lot worse." His fellow held up a stump wrapped in cloth.

Elsa offered no comfort to Anna, who was now quivering with rage. As much as it pained her to reveal something so dark to Anna, it was necessary for her to come to terms with the tyranny of the nobles who were supposed to serve her.

Her younger self's face darkened, the blue eyes beginning to glow dangerously, wisps of blue energy leaking from the irises into the air. The younger Elsa's fists clenched, and she let out a scream of rage uncharacteristic of her usual calm demeanour, carrying with it the power of the winter storm swirling inside of her. As her rage vented like an avalanche ploughing down a mountain slope, ice and snow began to swirl around her in a funnel, directing her rage towards the sky.

Korsakov and the others took a step back to admire the spectacle, as individual ice crystals fused together into the human skeletons. Life sprang to the colourless ice as blue tendrils of light connected every limb, the network joining in the cranium. A layer of snow covered the skeletons, and the warriors were finally completed by ice crystals congregating in set places, ice plate armour materializing, tinged black with Elsa's dark anger. The same fire in Elsa's eyes ignited within theirs, and as one they turned to face their creator.

When Elsa next spoke, her voice was layered heavy with cold, hard tones. "Cowards who oppress the people. Deceiving their own Queen. How_dare_ they speak of _loyalty_." Her eyes flicked to Korsakov. "I don't care how many men you have. I don't care how long it will take. I don't care what they're going to say. The bastards sitting in their castles brought this upon themselves, so let the storm rage on. Get your men here. Now." Korsakov bowed and left, grim determination settled upon them all.

As the memory began to melt away, the troll king's voice rang out again, startling both the sisters. "There is more, Elsa. And you know it." Elsa shook her head, pleading with Pabbie's voice. "She can't handle it… I can't handle it…" She might as well not have said anything, for Anna gripped her arm and snarled. "_Show me_."

Elsa sighed and shook her head, cursing the old troll.

The town of Steinberk burned. Unsurprisingly, Anna was unfazed. Elsa had shown her so much over the last few hours that another burning town could not possibly be anything to her. Elsa waited for her sister to actually realize what had happened.

Elsa stood alongside Korsakov and _Misriah_, she thought, identifying the First of the Hundred and Thirty Lieutenants for Anna's benefit. The smell of burning wood and gunpowder filled the air. Knives and rifles littered the ground.

But the smell that Elsa remembered most from this day three months ago was the stench of death and decay.

In the distance, orange tongues licked at the sky as acres of fresh crop vaporized in great palls of black smoke. Elsa was positive that Anna did not breathe for a full five minutes when she realized that the _orderly_ rows of bodies lying before Misriah had holes shot straight through their heads, were dressed in tattered peasant clothing, and clutched various _tools_. Farmers, blacksmiths and shopkeepers stared sightlessly into the sky. Elsa in her icy armour was a ball of spitting rage as she fired a fusillade of icicles into a sign at the side of the road, Korsakov trying in vain to calm the enraged woman. _Under investigation for possessing means of assisting the enemy. _Elsa grimaced as she stared at those cursed words again.

She glanced toward the various dishevelled, skinny peasants who spit on the bodies of three Arendelle troops, icicles sticking out of their chests. _How fitting_, her voice echoed through the memory. _Scorched earth policy against the Ice Queen_.

The blonde shook herself loose of Korsakov's grip and stormed down the street. Her sapphire irises stared straight ahead. A gasp of surprise emitted from her younger self's mouth as a man suddenly threw herself onto her, shouting, "Look out!"

_Bang_

Blood splattered Elsa's face as she was knocked to the ground. In an alleyway in front of her, an Arendelle soldier's eyes widened in fear as the bolt on his rifle suddenly refused to move, frost forming over it. He turned to run, but a piece of conically shaped metal tore into his neck, spilling his blood. Weapon and owner fell to the ground, and from that position they would move no more.

Elsa's widened eyes met those of her saviour. The man coughed, blood sputtering out of his mouth. He gave Elsa a weak smile. "Glad I caught you," he gasped, before collapsing onto her chest and taking his final breath. Elsa felt Anna's hand on hers, and she took it gratefully, allowing Anna to wipe away tears that had unknowingly fallen down her cheeks, relieving the emotions that surged through her sobbing younger self, wracked with guilt and rage.

King Pabbie again came into view as Elsa returned to the comfort of Anna's mind. Her sister did not speak, as she wordlessly stared as the floor, a sad and mournful look in her teal eyes. Elsa turned to the troll king, who again began to speak. "My time is almost up. This bond, however, will maintain long after I leave."

"They hate me." Anna's voice, filled with self-loathing, whispered.

Elsa turned to see her sister holding the crown in her hand, staring at it as tears fell. She met Elsa's eyes. "I'm such a terrible Queen." Her voice cracked.

Elsa's heart clenched at the sight of her normally jovial and optimistic sister looking so forlorn, so pained. _I knew she couldn't handle it!_ Elsa turned her eyes towards Pabbie's spot, but the troll king had vanished. Suppressing her rage, she turned back her sister, who stared at the crown, a monument to her failure.

Grabbing the strawberry blonde's shoulders, Elsa shook them. "Anna. Anna listen to me, you are a great Queen-"

"No, Elsa I'm not!" Anna pulled away and flung the crown aside. "I couldn't even be a good sister…"

Elsa didn't want to push it, but she had to, for both their sakes. "Anna, stop this, look at me." Elsa hated confronting her problems, but now she had to. "None of this is your fault. If anything, it's mine, for striking you, then killing Papa when you needed him."

Anna's trembling lip showed no sign of slowing. "B-but I let this happen. I hated, and you're my s-sister. If I hadn't thrown that s-stupid s-snowball, if I'd ruled better… People are dying to see me gone! And it's all my-"

"Yes, it is your fault." Elsa's eyes pierced into Anna's shocked ones. "Which is why you have to make this right. You have to try. For all of us. For the Kingdom. It's your duty."

Anna's eyes brightened, then hardened with new resolve. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I have to make this right. I _will_ make this right." Elsa smiled as her sister began to pace up and down and muttered to herself. The blonde felt something akin to a tug in her mind, and she surrendered to it, as Anna and her mind disintegrated into blue-tinged snowflakes. Anna would do what she had to, and Elsa would do what she had to. Together, they could make this Kingdom whole again.


	7. Chapter Six: The End of the Beginning

Chapter Six: The End of the Beginning

The walls of the dungeon in Anna's mind melted away, simply shattering and then melting away into the darkness. Anna felt a falling sensation in her belly, and she clutched her stomach as she awoke, dry heaving over the side of the bed.

_Wait. Bed?_

"Your Majesty!" Anna's servant, Ingrid rushed to her side, patting her back and holding her hair up and out of the way. "Are you alright?" Anna paid her no heed, and instead continue to heave up nothing.

When the Queen finally regained her composure, she turned to Ingrid, "How long have I been out?" The servant's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "Your Majesty, you've been unconscious for almost two days. The Jarl Bjorn has arrived from the city of Aspen, your Majesty. The Council has now convened to plan a counterattack."

Anna twirled her finger through her curls, hardly listening. Her mind was occupied with other matters. For example: was _anything_ she'd just seen real, or was her mind playing tricks on her? "Has there been any other news of Elsa, Ingrid?" she asked the servant.

Almost immediately, Ingrid's eyes darkened. "No your Majesty that cursed sorceress still sits idle in Aspen. None of the Commanders have reported any advance on that front. The Slavs sit idle as well." Anna twirled her finger even more thoughtfully, the strawberry blonde curls winding themselves around the single finger. It was not like the Sorceress to sit idle. There would at least be signs of movement or activity even if she chose to stop and give her allies a rest. Anna couldn't think of a single instance that Elsa had stopped for _no reason_.

Unless of course, her _mind_ was directed onto other things other than her armies. Her troops could not possibly advance. So her mind was incapacitated… Anna's eyes fell upon a single streak of white hair in the curls twirled around her finger.

That confirmed everything. Anna sat up almost immediately, startling the servant who stared in almost fear as the monarch stood up and began to pace up and down, hardly normal behaviour for a person who had just awoken from deep slumber. _I need to make things right_, Anna thought. _The only question is how._

Uncle Jakt had never mentioned Elsa before this stupid war began. And she was only known then as 'The Sorceress'. None of the other Jarls or officials had mentioned Elsa to her either. One could conclude they would not be thrilled if she strode in asking for them to capitulate and grovel at Elsa's feet. That would definitely lead to rebellion, or worse. She'd received no instruction from her father about wartime leadership, but she had this gut feeling that doing that would be political suicide.

But she had to do _something_. She'd promised. More importantly, she'd promised Elsa, her sister who had been isolated from her, from humans for thirteen years in total. Elsa, who had risked her life on numerous occasions, who had gotten injured and revealed her existence to a Kingdom that did not remember her, solely to hold it together for Anna. Powers or not, isolation or not, there was still the overwhelming fact that she was her sister. A promise like that had to be honoured. Had to be kept.

When Anna finally got an idea that she deemed worth even trying to execute, Ingrid was already gone. In her place was simply a new outfit for the day, plus a bowl of soup and some bread. Wolfing down the food in her typical style, the Queen rushed to her bathroom and brushed her hair straight, before putting it into a simple bun atop her head. She slipped the dress on before moving back into the mirror and looking straight into her own turquoise eyes. As she did so, she looked at the streak of white hair that was now woven into her bun, and put the crown onto her head. _It's time to do this_.

A hand opened the door and Anna peeked her head out. "Ingrid?" she called. The servant appeared before her immediately. "Inform the Council that a meeting is to be convened _now_ in the conference room proper."

"Yes, your Majesty."

As the servant disappeared down the corridor, Anna walked resolutely towards the conference room, hands clenching into fists as she tried to calm herself and prepare for the task that awaited her.

As she pushed the heavy oak doors open, Anna nearly jumped in fright as the entire Council turned their heads towards her. _How the blazes did they get here before me?_ There was a movement in the curtains to her left. She jerked her head towards it, eyes narrowed. An almost inaudible sigh of relief was heard when she turned her head back to the gathered Council members. Jarl Bjorn had been given a seat as well, and he sat all the way at the other end of the large table.

Anna walked over and sat down before gesturing for the rest to follow suit. She cleared her throat, before beginning to speak. "As you all know, the Sorceress Elsa is laying waste to our lands. There have even been reports of the people allying with her."

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Anna kicked herself in her head as she saw some of the members roll their eyes visibly and Jarl Bjorn fix her with a hard stare. _No, no, no. Ice creatures were created by my uncle. _Embarrassed now, she flushed and took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "My… sources have told me that the people have joined Elsa's army because of ahem, atrocities committed upon them-"

"Your Majesty," her Uncle Jakt cut her off and stared at her resolutely. "With all due respect, please get to the point. Even as we speak here the Ice Sorceress is probably conceiving some new form of abomination to _kill us all_."

"Her name, is _Elsa_." Anna cut in, her hands clenched into fists.

_Whoops_. Her uncle's eyes narrowed at her outburst. His mouth opened as if to say something, then closed it shut, his brown eyes still trained on her.

"Anyway," Anna continued. "I was proposing sending supplies of some sort to the villages that were captured in order to placate the people"

Instantly, the room erupted in a clamour of voices. "What of ourselves? How can we send food if the supplies here are already running low?" "Are you insane, you'd literally be giving gifts to our enemy!" "The people can go to hell, what a bunch of ingrates!"

Now it was Anna's turn to be indignant. She'd seen with her _very own eyes_, (well not really, more Elsa's eyes), the people there being oppressed and starved. She'd seen the starving people in Tsarov, the death and execution in Steinberk, and not even by the enemy, but by their own. Their own soldiers! Farmers, blacksmiths and other hard workers all executed in order to serve the interests of the rulers. _Ingrates? Even ingrates don't deserve what you've done to them!_

"Then explain to me why you had to execute those people in Steinberk?"

At that question, the whole room fell silent, before a number of Councillors opened their mouths to explain, then closed them again.

Uncle Jakt had his hand raised in a silencing gesture, and his cold eyes turned on Anna now. "How do _you_ know about Steinberk?"

Anna's eyes widened and her palms were instantly drenched in sweat. _Goddammit_. She spluttered as she tried to answer. "I-I hardly think that's the issue-"

"No, tell me. _How _do you know about Steinberk?" Her uncle looked up into her eyes, and Anna prayed he wouldn't see that streak of white hair. "What's this?" He said, holding a strand of it in his hand. Anna closed her eyes as she replied. "I-I was born with it, wasn't it there all along?"

She didn't feel like a Queen anymore as Uncle Jakt drew himself up to his full height and stared down at her. "You know, Anna, you never really were a good liar." He drew his sword and pointed it at her. "Guards! Arrest the Queen!"

Anna struggled hard against the arms of Guards Slukat and Ytgarr, _her own guards_ that she'd known all her life! "What is the meaning of this!" she yelled. "This is treason!"

To her surprise, her uncle yelled back. "And you, _your Majesty_, are conspiring with the enemy against us! Don't lie to me, don't even try!" He stabbed an accusing finger towards her and continued to yell. "I was there, when you were struck and injured. Believe me, I remember that white streak. You've been talking to that _abomination_ of a sister!"

In a lower voice, he continued to speak. "It's not like you would have made a good Queen anyway, Anna, look how much we've managed to achieve under your rule!" Anna was unable to believe what she was hearing. Her voice wavering, she only weakly echoed what resonated loudest in her mind. "W-we?"

"Yes," Chief Royal Advisor Jakt laughed evilly. "_We_."

"You were always a bit too trusting, Anna. You know nothing about what lies beyond the boundaries of this castle. Not even your own advisors were you able to control. You're utterly useless, a spare like you were meant to be!"

Hearing those words broke Anna completely, as she gazed at the man who used to be her uncle. "We both know that your sister, even an abomination like her would have done better than you. _That's a Crown Princess_."

He turned away and looked out the window, smiling as he did so. "But it doesn't matter. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Once your sister hears about this, she'll come. And we'll be waiting. And she will die. Then, _you_ will die." Chief Advisor Jakt laughed. "Then I will be the King who ended the Sorceress. The greatest King there ever was!"

He turned back to her, sheathing his sword. "_You_, will be Queen who betrayed this nation. The Queen who conspired with the enemy. Perhaps the first Queen to be _executed_ in a few hundred years. In fact, once I tell the people about this, you won't even _be_ a Queen anymore. Take her away, men."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Once she heard that, Anna knew she was done for. The safe option was to simply go with the guards and hope that her uncle actually did decide to spare her miserable life. But she'd made a promise to Elsa, to make things right and make the Kingdom whole again. And anyway, when did Anna choose the safe option?

Struggling hard, she kneed one of the guards in his groin, and as he doubled over in pain, broke free of the other. Strutting up towards her uncle, she made to grab his neck, only to be restrained again by guards who sprang from the curtains, grabbing her arms and twisting them behind her back painfully. But Anna was fuelled by fury, and no amount of pain would dissuade her. Gritting her teeth, she growled in a feral manner at her uncle and snarled. "You're no match for Elsa. She'll tear you limb from limb and feed you to the crows."

A flicker of fear appeared in the renegade King's eyes, before it disappeared and he simply smiled at her. "No, _you're_ no match for Elsa. Spare." With that, the last thing she saw was the butt of a crossbow slamming into her head before her view changed to complete darkness.

When Anna finally did awake, she looked around to find herself in a dungeon. And not just any dungeon.

Eight torches on the walls, and walls with cracks running through them from being hastily reconstructed. A blue door in the right side wall, with a single white snowflake on it. The bed with its baby blue sheets. Anna seethed with rage and she had to resist the urge to simply _kick_ the wall till it shattered into pieces. Her uncle had actually had the nerve to lock her back into _Elsa_'s dungeon. When she got out… _Wait, what?_

_Who says getting out is a given?_ A synthetic, cold voice whispered in the back of her head. Anna opened her eyes to see that alternate version of her standing in front of her again. No crown, twin braids, turquoise eyes darkened with cynicism and cruelty. The mouth twisted into a smug smile as she looked at her counterpart. _You can't even do anything right_. The lips did not move, but her dark alternate version's voice rang out cold and clear. _You forced your own sister into isolation. You were a terrible Queen. You suspected your sister of being a usurper on your first reunion. You couldn't even handle setting the record straight in front of your board of advisors. Your own _uncle_ was scheming right under your nose and you were ignorant of it._

"Stop it," Anna gasped, acutely aware that she probably looked mildly insane, talking to the air. "You… you don't know what you're saying…"

_Don't lie to yourself. _Her alternate version's eyes glittered with malice. _You know why you can't do anything right. Because you're the _spare_. You were never _meant_ for this. Look at your sister, she didn't even need the instruction, and she's still a better Queen than you. You're _nothing_. If all had gone well, you wouldn't even need to be here._

Tears sprang to Anna's eyes as her dark self continued to mock her. No matter how she could argue and deny, her own mind was telling her the truth. She'd messed up every task she'd been given since childhood. She couldn't even resist staying away from that room where Elsa had been imprisoned, and had indirectly caused her father's death. Here she was, a Queen who had no power over her advisors, no power over the nobles. She was having a conversation, an _argument_ with her own mind. What Kingdom would accept a deranged person like her as Queen? A failed child. A _spare_.

There was a gasp from in front of her and Anna looked up tearfully, only to widen her eyes again as she witnessed the dark light leave the eyes of her alternate self, before she crumpled to the ground and began convulsing. Anna made no move to help, only recoiled slightly as some kind of blue and silver substance began leaking from her duplicate's mouth, and a cold blue light on her chest she had not noticed before was now slowly fading into nothingness.

Elsa stood above the hallucination's body, her hands drawing the icy blue substance into herself, before the duplicate faded out of existence entirely. Smiling, she knelt in front of the tearful Anna. "It's not your fault," she said, even as Anna continued to hiccup and sniffle. "No one could have done what you just tried to do, not even father. Speaking of him," she paused and Anna looked up staring into her sister's eyes. "If you had not opened the door, you never would have met me. And I never would have gotten a chance to see the wonderful Queen my sister would become."

Warmth spread through Anna's chest as she listened to her sister. "Y-you really think I'd be a good Queen?" She sniffled.

"Of course," Elsa smiled. She gestured to where the duplicate had lain before. "Don't listen to it. That's not you, or me speaking. That's the ice." Anna scratched her head thoughtfully. Who'd ever heard of evil ice?

"Elsa's emotions when she struck you." King Pabbie's voice echoed in her head. "Fear, guilt, stress, anger. A part of it had to manifest somewhere." Anna jumped, but as the troll king's voice faded she understood. At the very least, it meant no more arguments with herself. Could she talk to Elsa though, without this part of the link?

She looked up quickly, and was relieved to find the blonde still standing there. She smiled at her sister, then lifted her head to look at the ceiling, deep in thought.

With a loud bang a guard burst into the dungeon, his sword raised in a battle-ready stance. He turned to Anna, and gruffly asked. "Who were you talking to? Is there anyone else in here?"

Anna gave him the sweetest smile she could muster and replied, "Oh no one, I'm just talking to my special secret friend that no one else can see!" Turning to her right and avoiding the guard's contorting face, she gave her sister a smile and Elsa reciprocated.

Perhaps her uncle was right, she was no match for Elsa. She was no match for guards with weapons. She was no match for her own scheming advisors. When the guard left, she raised her hands to find the palms glowing blue and raising clouds of condensation in the vapour around it, and she put them close to her face, relishing the cold.

Perhaps her uncle was right about those things, but there was one thing.

_He_ was no match for _both_ Anna and Elsa, together.

* * *

Note: This is the First Arc of the entire timeline. The next part is beginning soon, in another fic. Working on it now.


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